Toy musical instrument



Feb. 13, 1951 H. zMMERMAN ToYMUsIcAL INSTRUMENT Filed Sept. l1, 1948 /S KN HARRY ZIMMERMAN t Bg M k Cttomeg Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Harry Zimmerman, New York, N. Y.

Application September 11, 1948, Serial No. 48,831

(Cl. Sli- 404) 9 Claims. l

My invention relates to musical toys of that .type which .produces .a melody or a series of dif- .ferent tones by strokes hitting diierently tuned bars or sounding elements.

Objects of my .invention are to produce tremolant tones or tones comprising a plurality of irrdividual sound impulses following each other quickly, to produce each plurailty of impulses or each tremolant tone by one stroke of the players hand or finger, to create loud, clear and ringing sounds overlapping in one tone, and thereby to provide a novel toy having a particularly pleasant musical effect.

Other objects are to produce this eiect with ya toy that can be easily played by a child, and to provide the toy with a mechanism which produces the tremolant nature of the tones automatically whenever the player strikes a tone.

Fur-ther objects are to achieve these results `with simple and inexpensive means, and to provide a novel musical toy that can be manufactured easily and quickly.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from the appended claims and from the accompanying draw ing in which:

Figl 1 shows a top view of an illustrative embodiment, a vportion of the cover being broken oil.

Fig. 2 shows a lcross-section taken along the .line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of a broken off part of the latter embodiment, said cross-section being taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. l.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3 comprises one striking device shiftable .relative to several tone bars whereby the same striking member may 'hit any one of a row4 of differently tuned tone bars. This arrangement makes the yembodiment similar to a Xylophone.

yA easing 4| may have openings 42 for the escape of sound waves and has a cover 43 provided with a slot 44. A block 45 of Lshaped crosss'ection is slidable along the slot 44 and has an opening through which a rod 46 passes. The upper end of the .rod 46 is aflixed to a .handle or knob 41. By horizontal .movement `of the handle 41. the block 45 can .be shifted from one to another of a plurality of positions which are indicated by sutable indicia, for example, by lines 48 extending perpendicularly to the slot 44 on the top surface of the cover 43.

The rod 46v passes vertically slidably Athrough theblock 45. By vertical movement lofthe handle 41, the rod 46 can be moved down against the vpressure of a spring 49 which has a lower end aiXed to a projection 50 of the rod 46 .and has an upper end alixed to the block 45.

The rod 45 forms a part of a mechanism which transforms the vertical movement of the handle into a rotary movement comprising several turns during one stroke of the handle. The rod 46 has a lower end passing slidably through an opening in the bottom of a U-shaped frame 5l which is ailixed to the lower side of the block 45. A shaft 52 carrying a, pinion 53 and a toothed wheel 54 vis rotatably journalled in the elongated vertically extending slots formed in opposite side portions of the frame 5l. A shaft 55 carrying a Apinion5'o is disposed below and parallel to the shaft v52 and has the opposite ends thereof journalled .in the side portions of the frame 5I. A part of the rod 46 which is positioned within the frame A5| is provided with teeth whereby the rod constitutes a rack meshing with the pinion 53. Initial downward movement of the rod 45 effects similar downward movement of the shaft 52 until the latter reaches the bottom of the slots. In this position of the shaft 52, the toothed wheel 54 meshes with the pinion 56 on the shaft 55. Further` downward movement of the rod 45 causes rotation of 'the pinion 53, the wheel 54, and the pinion 56 for rotating the shaft 55.

An arm 51 has a center amxed to the shaft and has ends carrying loosely connected striking members 58. For example, the members A58 may be washer-like rings, and the arm 5l may form an elongated loop passing through the rings 58 with clearance. When the members 58 rotate with the arm 51 and the shaft 55, the centrifugal force moves the members radially to their most outward positions.

The plane .in which the members 58 rotate is vertical and preferably parallel to the slot 44. Tone bars 59 are arranged in a row which extends in the direction of the slot 44 and are substantially horizontally positioned at a level so .far Aabove the shaft 55 that each tone bar reaches in the upper part of the members rotary .paths when the shaft 55 is positioned vertically under the respective Atone bar 59. The shaft y55 can be moved into position under any of the tone bars by shifting the handle 41' and thereby the block 45 together with the entire striking mechanism in the manner described'before.

In the mentioned position of rest, the tone bars 59 are supported by walls 5l crossing the interior of the casing 4l in directions parallel 'to slotn44. lThe bars are free to move wardly under the impact of the members 58 and are guided in this upward movement by headed nails 62 driven into the top surfaces of the walls 6| and passing' through openings in the bars. The tone bars drop to the supported position immediately after the passage of a striking member. The top surfaces of the Walls 6l may be covered With cushioning layers 63. Other cushioning layers 64 may exten-d under the heads of the nails 62. The nails pass through the layers 63 and 64.

The handle 4l serves two purposes. By horizontal movement of the handle, the striking mechanism is brought into proper position relatively to any desired tone bar. By vertical movement downwardly, this tone bar is struck. When the rod 4t is depressed and subsequently released, the spring 49 will urge the rod 46 towards the original elevated position thereof. Upward movement of the rod 136, meshing with the pinion 53 on the shaft 52, will effect upward movement of the latter within the elongated slots and thereby disengage the wheel 54 from the pinion 56 to permit free-wheeling of the shaft 55. Therefore, the rod 46 will only drive the shaft 55 during the downward movement of the former. Hence any desired sequence of tones can be produced by simple movements of one hand.

f I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiments shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of vmy invention as it is obvious that the particular 'embodiments shown and described are only a few of the many that may be employed to attain `the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention,

what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a musical toy, a horizontally disposed rotatable shaft, a striking member on said shaft, striking elements carried by the opposite ends of said member and defining a circular closed path when said shaft is rotated, a vertically movable tone bar extending into said circular closed path when in lowermost position for contact with said striking elements and movable upwardly out of said path, and means rotating said shaft in one direction so as to eiiect striking of said elements against said tone bar from below.

2. In a musical toy, a rotatably mounted striking member having striking elements on the opposite ends describing a closed circular path when said member is rotated, and operating means for rotating said member including a pinion iixedly connected to said member, a rotatable gear means mounted for axial movement relative to the axis of rotation of s aid pinion, plineair-ly movable means meshing withsaid gear means and adapted, when moved in one direction, to mesh said gear means with said pinion and to effect the rotation of said gear means,

4-spring means constantly urging said linearly movsaid.' closed circular' path, 'and 'operating 'means for rotating said striking member including a linearly movable member and gear means interposed between said linearly movable member and said striking member, said gear means constantly engaging said linearly movable member and engaging said striking member only when said linearly movable member is moved in a selected direction.

4. In a musical toy, a substantially horizontally disposed tone bar mounted for limited vertical movement, a striking member rotatable about a horizontal axis and having striking elements on the opposite ends thereof describing a closed circular path when said member isl rotated, said tone bar in the lowermost position thereof extending into said circular path adjacent the top portion of said path and movable vertically out of said path, and operating means for rotating said striking member in a direction so that said striking elements strike against said tone bar from below, said operating means including a linearly movable member and gear means meshing with said linearly movable member and engaging said striking member only when said linearly movable member is moved in one direction to thereby effect rotation of said striking member in said above mentioned direction.

5. In a musical toy, the combination according to claim 3, wherein said gear means includes a pinion xed relative to said striking member, a rotatable toothed wheel fixed to a shaft extending parallel to the axis of rotation of said pinion and movable radially thereof in a plane parallel to the line of movement of said linearly movable member, a second pinion fixed to said toothed wheel, a gear rack formed on said linearly movable member meshing with said second pinion, and spring means connected to said linearly movable member constantly -urging the latter in a direction away from the axis of rotation of said first pinion, said toothed wheel meshing with said first pinion when said linearly movable member is moved against the force exerted by said spring means thereby rotating said striking member and being disengaged from said iirst pinion when said linearly movable member is moved in said direction urged by said spring means to thereby permit free wheeling of said striking member.

6. In a musical toy ihaving a housing, a frame extending into said housing and slidably carried by the latter for movement therealong, `a horizontally disposed shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a striking member on said shaft, striking elements carried by the opposite ends of said member and defining a circular closed path when said shaft is rotated, a plurality of vertically movable tone bars in said housing disposed at right angles to the direction of movement of said frame, each of said tone bars extending into said circular closed path when in lowermost position'and in registry with lsaid frame and movable upwardly out of said path, and means carried by'said frame rotating said shaft in one direction so as to effect striking of said elements against a selectedone of said tone bars from below.

7. In a. musical toy, a supporting structure, a frame slidable along said structure, a rotatably varranged striking element, operating means 'fearfried by said frame for carrying and rotating s ai'd element in a closed circular path, a plurality of tone-elements, disposed across the sliding direction of said frame, being supported in positions Where each tone-element, when in registry with said frame, reaches into said path whereby the T5 tone-element is struck by said etrilnng element,

and being movable in the direction oi said strokes out of said path.

8. In a musical toy, a supporting structure, a frame slidable along said structure. a rotatably arranged striking element, operating means carried by said f rame for carrying and rotating said element during each single operation in a closed circular path, a plurality of tone-elements disposed acrossV the sliding direction of said frame, being supported in positions where each toneelement, when in registry with said frame, reaches into said path whereby the tone-element is struck by said striking element, and being movable in the direction of said strokes out of said path'.

9. In a lmusical toy, a supporting structure, a frame slidable along said structure, a member rotatably connected to said frame and having an eccentric. end, a striking element loosely connected to said end, operating means carried by said fran'iejv for rotating said member with said element'inj a closed circular path, a plurality of tone-elements, disposed across the sliding direction offsaid frame. being supported in position 0 where each tone-element, when in registry with said frame, reaches into the path of said striking element whereby the tone-element is struck by said striking element, and being movable in the direction of said strokes out of said path.

HARRY ZIMMERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

